


Never Hesitate

by HappyCamper41



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Character Study, Episode: s02 Riposte, F/M, Fencing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-27
Updated: 2019-04-09
Packaged: 2019-12-25 12:46:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18261581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HappyCamper41/pseuds/HappyCamper41
Summary: Basically just a look at Kagami's perspective at the end of Riposte, and a possible continuation of her character from there until Frozer.





	1. Chapter 1

“Perhaps… you’ll agree to take this back now?” The blond boy offered her the scarlet colored fencing instrument, a somewhat shy expression dominating his features. For a brief moment, all Kagami could do was stare at him.

What was he playing at? She had just been akumatized, and attacked the heroes of Paris, attacked him, all because she was bitter about being declared the loser of a fencing match she had needlessly instigated. She had almost certainly tried to kill him, and yet here he was, offering her the sabre, willing to make amends?

Reflexively, Kagami reached to take the blade, but stopped before her hand could reach its destination.

“No, I lost.” She told him firmly, “You keep it.” Regardless of what she thought of the match’s outcome, mercy to one’s opponent wasn’t something she had ever believed in. She didn’t need a consolation prize, she needed to get better.

“I personally think the point was yours.” He answered, an earnest note to his voice, and he didn’t lower the sabre.

“That’s not what your friend saw.” Kagami insisted, a somewhat bitter note to her voice. Sure, the ancient rules of fencing might dictate that being the only witness gave the raven-haired girl unlimited authority on declaring a winner, but that didn’t mean Kagami had to be happy about it. She would respect the decision, as was customary, but neither that girl nor this admittedly handsome blond should expect any warmth from her.

“Marinette can get flustered easily. She's kind and means well. She'd never cheat.” The boy explained calmly, “Today was her first-ever experience with fencing.”

Interesting. Briefly surprised for a moment, Kagami had to suppress the urge to snort. This Marinette girl had shown up to try and join the most prestigious fencing team in Paris, having never played the sport? But Kagami was also surprised to detect that the when speaking about this Marinette, the boy’s voice contained a certain… fondness?

“You like her a lot, huh?” Kagami asked, an amused smile appearing on her face despite the circumstances.

“Marinette?” He responded, seemingly caught off guard, “Yeah! Of course. She's a very good friend, and you'll really like her too, once you get to know her.” And before Kagami could consider that claim, the boy continued, “Please, take it.” He again offered the sabre.

Persistent. Kagami mused. The boy clearly wasn’t a quitter, which was something she respected a lot. He did seem uncertain about his own feelings regarding Marinette, which made her think that he might be uncommitted. He was definitely earnest, and seemed to be rather naive. After all, who would offer their opponent their sword a third time? His looks were nothing to scoff at, either. In fact, she realized that she recognized his face, having seen in on numerous advertisement ever since she arrived in Paris. 

A skilled fencer and a part time model? She mused quietly. She found herself drawn to the boy’s warmth like a moth to flame. She just hoped her attraction would prove less self-destructive than said moth’s. And before she knew it, she was reaching out to take the sabre from his extended hands.

“My name’s Adrien.” He informed her, the sun reflecting vibrantly off of his magnificent green eyes and blond hair, “What’s yours?” He asked, offering his hand.

It was at that moment Kagami realized she was screwed.

*

It came as an immense surprise to the Tsurugi family when Kagami was called on by the D’argencourt academy of fencing. Granted, the only family to speak of was Kagami herself, and her mother, but the feeling was certainly shared. Kagami had been in the midst of quite the scolding from the three-time olympic fencer she called Mother, especially regarding her akumatization, when the butler approached them with the call.

“While you did not ultimately prevail against Mr. Agreste,” Mr. D'argencourt’s voice somewhat high-pitched voice began, “You showed me today that you possess incredible skills and ambition. Any fencing academy, any instructor, would be beyond privileged if you were to join them. Thus, the D’argencourt academy humbly asks for you to join our team.”

The phone was on speaker, and the cold and severe expression of Madame Tsurugi softened just the tiniest bit, indecipherable to the untrained eye. Nevertheless, there was still immeasurable steel in her sightless eyes when she answered for her daughter.

“Only a vulture feasts on what it did not personally acquire.” She answered, never once letting her gaze stray from her only daughter, regardless of the fact that she couldn’t see her. Madame Tsurugi didn’t need sight to know exactly where her daughter was at all times, “I will allow my daughter onto your team if and only if she faces this ‘Mr. Agreste’ again and emerges triumphant.”

While Mr. D’argencourt was astonished by this brazen announcement, Kagami didn’t even flinch. For Madame Tsurugi was never one to settle for second place. She wasn’t a believer in letting her five-year old daughter win at shogi either, instead demanding Kagami answer ‘how are you going to improve, if you are not exposed directly to the flame.’ This was before Kagami even began to fence, the art that Madame Tsurugi herself favored. So instead of arguing against this apparently conceited demand by her mother, Kagami simply narrowed her eyes, returning her mother’s stern gaze.

“I agree.” The girl announced, because Kagami Tsurugi never backed down from a challenge, “I suppose I’ll be taking up his offer for a decisive match a bit sooner than I thought...”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It occurred to me that Kagami was on the fencing team in Frozer, meaning that she must've found some other way to impress the coach and join them.

Unlike their first matchup, there was only a small crowd gathered this time, spearheaded by Mr. D’argencourt. Madame Tsurugi herself had found time in her schedule to attend, and even the reclusive Mr. Agreste was present via a tablet carried by his personal assistant, a tall, stern woman with red highlights in her otherwise dusky hair. Mr. Agreste’s expression was equally as intense, and when he made eye contact with Kagami, she could see in his eyes an attentiveness like she hadn’t anticipated. Gabriel Agreste may have been a fashion designer, but it was abundantly clear that the man was taking this match very seriously.

And when Kagami noted a tall, burly man that could only be Adrien’s bodyguard, she realized that Adrien’s life might have a lot more in common with her own than she had originally thought, if the utter lack of warmth from the people around him was any indication. Strange that Adrien didn’t seem to have taken after any of them...

Much to her annoyance, her heart raced a bit when Adrien emerged from the locker room. He was every bit as gorgeous as the last time she saw him, and she realized that win or lose, there was no way she was going to be going home tonight without getting his phone number. Because Kagami Tsurugi doesn’t hesitate. When she acquires her target, she pursues it with all the necessary zeal, until she hits it.

“Hey.” Adrien said brightly, compensating for the lack of sunshine from the stern-faced adults around them, “It’s great to see you again!”

“The pleasure is mine.” Kagami nodded formally, a slightly higher pitch to her voice than normal. She was careful to keep the blush off of her face, but the arched eyebrow on her mother’s face made it clear that the blind woman had caught the inflection in her voice, and Kagami knew that she was in for an earful later.

“I take it your opinion on electronic scoring hasn’t changed?” Mr. D’argencourt asked her, an annoyed look written all across his face. Kagami and Adrien both nodded resolutely, a small smile creeping onto the boy’s face as he lowered his helmet, preparing to clash. Kagami would make sure that his excitement was nowhere near as powerful as her own determination, regardless of how cute the blond was.

D’argencourt signalled for the match to begin, and their blades clashed less than a second later. Kagami took an aggressive approach as usual, closing in with lightning speed, but Adrien again displayed surprising prowess in his defensive play, successfully keeping her from landing a hit, even as he was driven backwards. 

A obvious feint from the part-time model gave Kagami more than enough of a chance to step inside his guard, and nearly disarm him, in a maneuver that would’ve finished any lesser fencer, but Adrien maintained his form, quickly stepping back to recover.

It wasn’t that Adrien lacked skill, not by any stretch of the imagination, but the boy never seemed to take any initiative. Even when the boy pulled off impressive maneuvers that would’ve caused her mother to arch an eyebrow (if she could see them), they were all done in response to one of Kagami’s attacks. It was defensive play to a ridiculous degree, and if it weren’t for the fact that Kagami already had experience fighting him from earlier, she would’ve thought that he was taking it easy on her.

So even though they were almost evenly matched, Adrien’s passive fighting style proved to be his undoing, as Kagami finally managed to slip a lucky hit through his defences, ending the match immediately. 

“Well done.” Mr. D’argencourt said simply, with a face of moderate disappointment, but not surprise, “You’ve more than earned a spot on this team, and I look forward to seeing you in action at both our practices and competitions.” With that, she shook hands with her new coach, and the deal was sealed.

“Congratulations!” Adrien exclaimed, happily shaking her hand as well. It was almost comedic how the boy and the coach had done the exact same thing, a handshake and a congratulatory remark, and yet Adrien conveyed exponentially more warmth (and had much more of an effect on her heart). She couldn’t help but think that the boy would make an excellent… well, anything really.

“You performed admirably.” Kagami was surprised to hear the voice of Gabriel Agreste from the tablet, accompanied by a nod when they made eye contact. “That was an enjoyable match to observe, and you’ve more than earned your spot on the team. May you and Adrien continue to push each other to the limit, so that you may both be all the better for it.” There was a hint of disappointment in the elder Agreste’s expression as well, along with… guilt? But before Kagami could say anything in response, the call ended, and Mr. Agreste’s assistant beckoned for Adrien to follow her.

“I’ll see you at practice, then.” Adrien added, sheepishly, “We can talk more then, but you know how it is.” He nodded at Nathalie before walking away.

“Do I ever.” Kagami muttered to herself, all too familiar with the life of rigid schedules and overbearing help hired by a parent to keep them in line. 

As soon as the boy had turned away, however, she allowed a slightly lovestruck sigh to escape her lips. But, remembering her promise to herself, she rushed forwards, calling out to the boy confidently.

“Adrien, wait!” She exclaimed, and he turned to face her in surprise. 

“Could I get your number?” She asked, taking her phone out. “I would love to get to know you better…”

“Yeah, of course!” Adrien agreed happily, “I’d love to practice with you again sometimes, without all the parents and pressure.”

Kagami almost laughed at the boy’s innocence, and she could tell that the otherwise stoic assistant, Nathalie, was embarrassed on his behalf. But Kagami decided to let that one sit, confident that she would get another opportunity to get through to the boy. She couldn’t imagine how hard it might be for a shyer girl to try and talk to him, given how ineffective her own less than subtle approach seemed to be working.

“Right, practice.” Kagami smiled, and handed the phone over for him to enter his information.

After exchanging numbers, the two of them parted on friendly terms. Madame Tsurugi was on her daughter immediately afterwards, and Kagami was surprised to see that her usually stern mother was actually smiling.

“You performed well, daughter.” She stated proudly, “I thought that your distraction would affect your skills during the match, but I have been proven wrong.”

“Distraction?” Kagami asked, “I don’t-”

“Don’t insult me.” Madame Tsurugi cut her daughter off, “Or do you expect me to believe that ‘fencing practice’ is your sole motive for obtaining his phone number?”

Kagami turned red, in spite of herself. She had been told many times that she was too blunt with people, and could use a bit more ‘tact,’ as a previous fencing instructor had put it, but Kagami’s aversion to mixing her words paled in comparison to Madame Tsurugi’s often aggressive way of wielding the truth. 

“Just don’t let it affect your studies.” Her mother added, offering up a long pause before offering a rare compliment, “-he seems like a nice boy.” And with that, madame Tsurugi walked back to the vehicle, where the driver was patiently waiting, leaving Kagami alone in the courtyard of Francois Dupont. Kagami sighed, embarrassed by her mother, but also in total agreement with everything she had said.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frozer part 1, from the perspective of the girl who really got the short end of the stick here.

“What’s going on Adrien?” Kagami approached the dejected-looking boy in the locker room, “I usually enjoy defeating you, but it’s no fun when you make it that easy.” A small, red flower was in his hand, and he was staring at it, total despair written all over his face. It was a look Kagami wasn’t used to from him, and instantly decided that she didn’t like.

 

It had been several weeks since she’d won her place on the team. As the strongest fencers on the team, Mr. D’argencourt had assigned her and Adrien as regular sparring partners, something Kagami had found pleasing as both a fencer and a girl pursuing an attractive boy her age. The Japanese girl almost always ended up winning eventually, but outplaying her crush was no small task. Adrien’s performance today, however, had been… lackluster, to say the least. Embarrassing would be a more accurate term, but even Kagami had enough tact to ask the poor boy what was wrong. Her mother, on the other hand, probably would’ve made Adrien do drills from today until the next month, to teach him the necessary focus. 

 

“Do you ever get the feeling that you’re stuck, Kagami?” Adrien pulled off his fencing mask to reveal the mop of sunshine he called his hair, “That no matter what you do… It’s the same old story over and over again?” He sighed, and added on, “That things never… ever change?”

 

Impressed by that surprisingly unguarded response, Kagami decided to sit next to him. It was abundantly clear that Adrien had been turned down by somebody that he liked, most likely that Marinette girl he spoke so highly of. The bit about things never changing probably meant that it wasn’t the first time, either. 

 

Kagami was more than a little upset by this. First off, what was Marinette thinking, rejecting a both this attractive and charming? And secondly, how had Kagami not learned about this until now? Sure, Adrien had talked about Marinette the day she met him, but in the weeks of texting him almost every night, he had never given off the impression that he was interested in anybody. Perhaps his apparent obliviousness to Kagami’s advances wasn’t born out of ignorance, and was actually a subtle way of rejecting her.

 

She grimaced as she remembered their last conversation, just two days ago:

 

_ Kagami: Are you free this afternoon? I would love to spend some time with you… _

 

_ Adrien: Really sorry, piano lesson all day :( but maybe tomorrow? _

 

_ Kagami: Unfortunate, and no, I have an archery lesson tomorrow until 18:00. Perhaps we could go do something after that? _

 

_ Adrien: I’d like to, but unfortunately my father doesn’t let me hang out with friends that late in the evening. _

 

_ Kagami: ...and if we weren’t together as friends? _

 

_ Adrien: Oh. Sorry, I didn’t realize. _

 

_ Kagami: Yeah... _

 

_ Adrien: If that’s what you really want to do, I can check with him about extra fencing practice, but I was actually picturing us doing something a bit more casual lol. Sorry about that. _

 

At that point, Kagami had come damn close to destroying her cell phone and jumping into oncoming traffic, but restrained herself by taking a deep breath and counting to ten. She’d managed a calm response, politely declining his  _ generous _ offer, and wondering why whatever divine beings were out there had decided to punish  _ her _ with pursuing a boy with a skull this thick. She should’ve read the signs.

 

But Kagami was nothing if not persistent. She wasn’t going to let Marinette or anybody else get in the way of her target, not without a fight. Adrien  _ hadn’t _ directly turned her down yet, and Kagami knew that now was the time to move, while he was actually evaluating his feelings.

 

“Adrien,” Kagami began, channeling her mother in a sense, putting as much calm authority into her voice as possible, “...the biggest mistake a fencer can make isn’t choosing the wrong  _ technique _ , it’s choosing the wrong  _ target _ .” And with that, Kagami boldly reached out, cupping his chin so he would look her in the eye before continuing, “Change. Target.”

 

And there it was. Kagami had all but confessed to him. If he couldn’t read this sign, Kagami officially decided she was going to scream it at him, regardless of how distraught he looked. A girl could only take so much of this.

 

The model didn’t answer right away, instead just staring at the rose for a long moment, and the girl was certain that she was about to either get rejected or blown off. Kagami was about to get up and excuse herself, when the boy genuinely surprised her by offering the rose, a cute little smile finding its way onto his face.

 

She couldn’t help it. Kagami gasped, eagerly accepting the flower after only a brief pause. 

 

“I won’t lie to you.” Adrien whispered quietly, “There’s another girl, one I care very deeply about…”

 

_ Marinette _ . Kagami thought to herself,  _ What a foolish girl, letting him slide away like this. _

 

“...but if you’re willing to help me, I think I want to try and... move on?” His voice quieted at the end, and Kagami could tell that abandoning his pursuit of Marinette wasn’t an idea he entertained often. She was just lucky she had stepped in when she did, or he probably wouldn’t have even considered her.

 

“Definitely.” Kagami nodded, and she meant it, “I’ll be here for you.”

 

The two of them fell into a comfortable silence, staring into each other’s eyes. In that moment, Kagami forgave his oblivious gaffes, and felt herself swell in pride at the realization that she  _ had  _ gotten through to him. And when Kagami got a warning text from her driver, she knew that leaving was the last thing she wanted to do. Adrien promised that he’d text her later with possible details for a date, but Kagami barely heard him, a giddy feeling building inside of her, a girlish excitement she almost never enjoyed. They could work out the details later, what mattered  _ now _ was that her efforts weren’t in vain.

 

Just imagine her shock when Adrien arrived for their date the next day, with both Marinette and some random dude in tow...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, after Stormy Weather 2, I fully believe Adrien wouldn't be able to discern the meaning of texts like those. He's still lovable though, and I think Kagami definitely likes a good challenge.

**Author's Note:**

> So what do you guys think, continue this or no?
> 
> Also, episode transcript for Riposte was really useful.


End file.
